Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Allex Velischek played 30 games as a senior at the Delbarton School, which won the Gordon Conference and non-public school state championships in New Jersey. Velischek posted 16 goals with 35 assists and was +61 with 42 PMs. He committed to playing college hockey at Providence in 2009-10.

2010-11: Nine games into his sophomore year with Providence College, Alex Velischek left the program to join the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. The departure was on amicable terms, Velischek simply wanted to play a greater on-ice role with his team and was not going to get the opportunity at Providence. In the USHL Velischek would managed 2 goals, 8 assists, and 42 penalty minutes in 33 games.

2011-12: Velischek returned to Providence for his junior season and appeared in 32 of 38 games for the Friars. He finished the season plus-three with 18 penalty minutes and had 7 assists (including assists in all three games in the Friars' quarterfinal upset of Massachusetts-Lowell). Under first-year coach Nate Leaman the Friars finished 14-20-4 after falling to eventual national champion Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals.

Talent Analysis

Son of ex-NHLer Randy Velischek, Alex is a two-way defenseman who plays with a huge amount of poise. Though relatively undersized for a defenseman, Velischek possesses an extremely thick build and low center, making him very difficult to move. He is also quite mobile, and capable of moving the puck up ice with relative ease.

Velischek plays in a defensively oriented system in the NCAA with Providence, so it is hard to project what kind of offensive game, if any, he would have at the professional level. Given his ability to move the puck however, there is some reason to think he should be able to at least make a good first pass up ice.

Future

Velischeck will return to Providence for his senior season where he must impress the Penguins enough to earn an entry-level contract.

Photo: Defenseman Simon Despres was the 30th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft. Despres has split the 2013-14 season between the NHL and AHL. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The 2009 NHL off-season was one of the most important in Pittsburgh Penguins history as it marked their first Stanley Cup parade in over 15 years. The off-season also marked a major transition period for the Penguins as General Manager Ray Shero and his management team used the opportunity to rebuild the organization's then-barren defensive pool.

Photo: Forward Oskar Sundqvist is the only European trained prospect currently in the Penguins system. Sundqvist was selected in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With a front office and coaching staff made up almost entirely of former NCAA hockey players, it should come as no surprise that the Pittsburgh Penguins love to draft and develop collegiate level talent. However, there are also pragmatic reasons as to why Penguins draft collegiate bound players. The biggest reason is because NHL teams are afforded two more years with NCAA players before they have to make a decision regarding whether or not they will sign the player to an entry-level contract. That extra development time is crucial for a team like the Penguins, who rely heavily on mid-to-late round draft picks to keep their cupboard stocked.

Photo: Winger Ben Hanowski is just one of several talented forward prospects the Penguins have at the NCAA level. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Icon SMI)

Over the past four seasons the Pittsburgh Penguins organization has made a concerted effort to draft quality defensemen and now boasts one of the deepest groups of defensive prospects in the NHL. Their forward depth, while not as impressive as the defense, has also come a long way and now has quality prospects at every position.

Photo: Olli Maatta is one of several Penguins prospects who could see a huge spike in production over the 2012-13 season. (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins organization injected their prospect pool with a massive amount of talent at every level this past off-season and will consequentially head into the 2012-13 season with many questions. There will be eight new additions to their minor-league roster, but there will also be many eyes on 2012 first round draft picks Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maata, both of whom recently signed entry-level contracts.